Chapter 31


    ncing at the clock, it was already past 2 AM. Wasn’t Bryant supposed to have left work with Ma


    Margaret? Instead, he ended up grabbing drinks with Steven, and from what Steven implied,


    Margaret wasn’t there..


    y out of


    Calling Steven again only led to the realization his phone was dead, probably battery.


    Left with no choice, I changed and hailed a cab to their usual hangout spot, a private club they often


    frequented.


    By the time I arrived, the crowd had mostly dispersed. Only Steven and Mark remained in the


    private room alongside Bryant, sprawled on a couch, dressed in a designer suit, his long legs


    crossed, deep in slumber.


    Seeing me, Steven gave me a helpless look. “Jane, I don’t know what got into Bryant today. He kept


    egging Mark on to drink, and we couldn’t make him stop.”


    I had a hunch about what might have triggered it. Bryant was still stubbornly convinced that there


    was something between Mark and me.


    It seemed all men might share this trait. They could mess around all they wanted, but they’d never


    allow even a hint of infidelity from their wives, even if such a hint was nothing but baseless


    suspicion.


    I shot an apologetic nce at Mark, who looked refined and gentle even in his drunken state. “Mark,


    are you okay? I brought some hangover pills. Do you want some?”


    His eyes were hazy from the alcohol. “Sure.”


    As Mark regained a bit of sobriety and looked up at me, his cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling like


    a kid waiting for candy, I ced the pill in his palm and handed him a s of water. “I’m so sorry you


    had to drink so much.”


    “You’re telling me,” hemented. “Bryant wouldn’t stop pouring, and despite our attempts to


    intervene, he drank everything handed to him!”


    Steven was venting, and before I could process it all, he handed me the car keys. “You can drive,


    right?”


    “Yeah,” I said.


    Approaching Bryant, I braced myself against the smell of alcohol and gently tapped his face.


    “Bryant, wake up. It’s time to go home.”


    He frowned in annoyance and broke into a dazed smile upon seeing it was me. “Honey.”


    As he spoke, he enveloped my hand in his. His palm was cool.


    Steven’sughter grew louder, clearly amused. See, Jane? Good thing I didn’t call


    Margaret. She’d be furious.”


    N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    Only Mark, sitting in the corner, remained silent throughout.


    I attempted to withdraw my hand, but Bryant’s drunken strength was surprisingly formidable, and he


    wouldn’t budge. So, I let it be.


    With Steven’s help, we got Bryant into the car before Steven turned to assist a simrly inebriated


    Mark.


    Once in the driver’s seat, the first thing I did was roll down the windows. I used to be indifferent to


    the smell of alcohol, but tonight, it was making me nauseous.


    The roads were empty at this hour. Woken up in the middle of the night, on top of the day’s


    frustrations, I found myself aggressively alternating between the gas and brake pedals.


    Ufortable with the bumpy ride, Bryant mumbled in protest, “Kevin, slow down!”


    “I can’t slow down,” I retorted without thinking.


    “Ugh…” Bryant felt like vomiting.


    “Don’t you dare throw up, I instantly felt goosebumps,


    “Ugh… Bryant continued.


    “Swallow it!” I was beyond annoyed. I’ve always had a strong aversion to seeing or hearing people


    vomit, and being pregnant only made it worse.


    Without a doubt, I’d lose my dinner if he threw up.


    “Burp!”


    Hearing him belch and then quiet down finally rxed my tense nerves.